Davies wants fans to acknowledge Barry

04 October 2009 08:02

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Curtis Davies expects former Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry to be jeered when he returns for the first time with Manchester City in Monday's Barclays Premier League clash. [LNB] Davies is a close friend of Barry, who made the £12million move from Villa to Eastlands during the summer. Davies, currently recovering from shoulder surgery, admits "football is very fickle" and expects the Villa fans to give Barry a hard time. [LNB] Davies said: "I'd like to think the fans would clap Gareth but I've got a feeling it will be jeers."[LNB] He added: "He did this club a good service over the 10 years or more that he was here. But obviously football is very fickle and I think people see the short-term picture. [LNB] "I know Gareth has gone from saying he wanted to play Champions League football, when he nearly moved to Liverpool last summer, to moving to Manchester City. [LNB] "But maybe he's looked at his options and thought that long-term maybe Manchester City might have the structure to become a Champions League team more so than us. [LNB] "If he sees there's an opportunity to do that, then obviously that's Gareth's choice but we'll beg to differ."[LNB] Davies also believes Barry will be unfazed if he receives a hostile reception from the Villa fans. [LNB] He said: "Sometimes people will wilt under pressure. I think Gareth is one of those who might step up. We need to be aware of that and so do our fans. [LNB] "You see big players like Ronaldo who like getting booed because, when that happens, it makes him kick up a gear and he ends up scoring crazy goals against teams."